Occult Tarot decks are a unique type of tarot deck that explores esoteric and mysterious themes. These decks are often designed for practitioners of occult or spiritual practices, and they contain imagery and symbolism that delve into the realms of magic, astrology, alchemy, and other mystical subjects. The term "occult" refers to hidden knowledge, and Occult Tarot decks aim to tap into this hidden knowledge through their artwork and symbolism. These decks often feature intricate and detailed illustrations that can be interpreted in various ways, allowing the reader to connect with their own intuition and spiritual understanding. Occult Tarot decks may incorporate elements from different spiritual traditions, such as Western esotericism, Hermeticism, Kabbalah, and more. They may also include depictions of mythical creatures, symbols, and objects that are associated with these traditions.
The Wraithe Sigillum Tarot is based on traditional tarot, but each card has a very different illustration of a sigillum (symbol) of power that helps the individual connect with universal consciousness. Each sigillum was specially chosen by the artist based on his own experience. Available through The Game Crafter.
Unlock the arcane wisdom and hidden truths that the Occult Tarot has to offer, and witness as it weaves a tapestry of ancient knowledge and modern insight. As you delve into the depths of the Occult Tarot, you ll find yourself embarking on a journey of self-discovery, confronting both the light and shadow aspects of your soul.
They may also include depictions of mythical creatures, symbols, and objects that are associated with these traditions. The use of an Occult Tarot deck can be seen as a tool for divination, meditation, and self-reflection. It allows the reader to tap into their subconscious and explore the hidden aspects of their psyche.
Occult Tarot Decks
Occult Tarot cards and decks with deeper esoteric meanings, often created by groups like the Order of the Golden Dawn, or for magical use. Includes alchemy, ceremonial magick, hermeticism and other occult studies.
The Abysmal Tarot is a new alternative, art tarot with a satanic theme. It is a quality set with 22 cards by ten different artists, each featuring a Devil or demonic aspect. Published in a limited edition of 333 copies, with 22 of these decks having an extra card called Abigor.
Inspired by the spiritual alchemy of the Rosicrucians, the Alchemical Tarot is full of alchemical symbolism and explains "the beliefs of the elixirs that make up the substance of life." Card art is hand-drawn in style reminiscent of comic books. Now reprinted as the Alchemical Tarot: Renewed.
The striking, fascinating artwork in the classic Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot was conceptualised by the famous occultist and Golden Dawn member, Aleister Crowley, and created by Lady Frieda Harris. This edition of the deck has 80 cards, which includes three versions of the Magus card.
The Ansata Tarot contains 22 cards of very detailed, complex imagery and esoteric symbols, mixing European and Egyptian motifs. The 22 cards were first published in 1981 in German, then in English in 1985.
Almost similar enough to the Rider-Waite to be classed as a clone deck, The Builders of the Adytum Tarot is printed in black and white only and is intended to be coloured by the user.
The Babylonian Tarot is a unique deck based on the cosmology and legends of the Ancient Sumerians, Mesopotamians and Babylonians, who lived more than 4000 years ago. There are 83 cards in this occult deck, including an extra major arcana card titled Genesis and another court card in each suit.
The Bifrost Tarot is a modernisation of the Thoth Tarot, including a spectrum of influences from the major players and discoveries that have come since Crowley's time. Designed to be a deck for the true student of the occult, and now available as a self-published edition from the artist.
The Book of Kaos Tarot is a compelling self-published 80-card deck. The imagery uses pagan and tribal imagery and its pen-and-ink art varies from simple to complex across the cards.
The Brotherhood of Light Egyptian Tarot is the companion deck to the book, The Sacred Tarot, by C. C. Zain. These cards were first designed in black and white in the 1930s, and then redesigned in full colour in 2009.
Designed for personal development and transformation, the Cards of Alchemy are a fifty card set based on the ancient concepts of alchemy. Created by Raymond Buckland, well-known Wiccan and author of numerous books on Wicca and magick.
Deck 777 contains 'Cabalistic Correspondence Cards', a combination majors-only tarot deck and set of magickal flash cards. Listed on the face of each card are dozens of correspondences, from Hebrew letters to musical notes, weapons to candle colours.
While not a creation by Dion Fortune herself, this deck is inspired by her Tarot and Qabalah teachings. Its images are a mixture of Marseilles-style, photographic, and illustrated elements, and are intended for meditation and reflection.
The Discordian Tarot is a black and white tarot with an interesting juxtaposition of images. Discordia was the Roman goddess of Strife, similar to the Greek Eris.
The Egipcios Kier Tarot is a 78-card Tarot deck created by an Argentine occultist in the early 20th century The deck has traditional-looking Egyptian artwork with a central gold background, and associates Hebrew letters, the Tree of Life, and other esoteric symbols with Egyptian hieroglyphs.
The English Magic Tarot is a 78 card deck set in the 16th century period of English history, known as a golden age for magic and mysticism. The cards feature deceptively simple, non-traditional Tarot scenes with hidden occult-related riddles, illustrated in a comic-book style.
The Enochian Tarot deck is based on the Enochian magickal system, a form of ceremonial magick. The deck has 30 major arcana cards instead of the usual 22.
The Enoil Gavat Tarot - Tavaglione, the artist's name, backwards - is an Italian esoteric Tarot featuring Egyptian, astrological, Hebrew, numerological and other symbolism inside very decorated borders.
The 'Etteilla Tarotcard' is a South Korean deck drawing on the early occult history of the Tarot. All of the cards are numbered and labelled with keywords in English for both upright and reversed positions, though the companion booklet is in Korean. The major arcana have been reordered, and the minor arcana are largely pip cards.
The Gareth Knight Tarot is an esoteric deck published in 1984 and now out of print, with symbology that draws on a mix of traditions. The art is flatly coloured and harsh, with non-scenic minor arcana.
The Golden Dawn Enochian Skrying Tarot is an innovative, non-traditional Tarot of 89 cards that contains two decks in one - the Enochian Watchtower Tarot and the Western Tattvas Tarot. The cards are intended for skrying, divination, and magickal work.
The Golden Dawn Magical Tarot uses symbology and colours as adhered to by the Order of the Golden Dawn. The major arcana show abstract and very vibrant scenes, but the minors are overly repetitive. Little changes between the cards of a suit but the number of cups or pentacles.
The Order of the Golden Dawn was an active occult society in Europe around ninety years ago which attracted some brilliant people. Their tarot deck was illustrated by Wang under instruction from Regardie, and is a work of esoteric importance rather than aesthetic interest.
The Grail Tarot: A Templar Vision brings together the search for the Holy Grail, the Knights Templar, and Tarot in 78 cards of Renaissance-style art. John Matthews and Giovanni Caselli have created the book and 78-card deck respectively.
A wholly Spanish deck in design and origin, El Gran Tarot Esoterico has somewhat crude scenes on white backgrounds. The card titles are also in Spanish.
The Hermetic Tarot is black and white only, but is very highly detailed Tarot deck of 78 cards. It is an artistic recreation of a mysterious, esoteric Tarot deck by Mathers, a member of the Order of the Golden Dawn.
The Kingdom Within Tarot combines astrology, Qabalah, mythological archetypes, the elements, and the cyclical nature of the cosmos into 78 Tarot cards. The deck is designed for practical divination as well as self-knowledge. The set and very comprehensive companion book has been published by Schiffer Books.
The Knapp-Hall Tarot is a reprint of the original Knapp Tarot, which was first published in 1929. The majors have a French influence and the minors are unillustrated.
Le Tarot d' Oswald Wirth is a high-quality reproduction, with gold metallic backgrounds, of the 22 major arcana by Oswald Wirth. From Canadian publishers Editions De L'aigle.
The Tarot of Stars Eternal is a reworking of the Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot by Dante Tarot artist Andrea Serio. The majors are very similar to Crowley's Thoth, but the minors have been expanded and have an emphasis on Decans.
The Lost Tarot of Nostradamus is based on the mysterious tarot-like drawings believed to have been created by Nostradamus, and only rediscovered in 1994. John Matthews of the Grail Tarot and Wil Kinghan of the Shaman's Oracle worked together to create this original 78-card deck.
The Magickal Tarot has very stylised and symbolic artwork, packed with images of occult significance. The deck is similar to the Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot in structure.
The Masonic Tarot has busy and sometimes clashing artwork, rich in Freemason symbolism. Meaningful symbols and imagery "float" above the scene or are embedded within it.
The Mutational Alchemy Tarot is a 78-card tarot designed by and for experienced occultists. The vivid, complex, hand-painted illustrations are based on a foundation of mutational alchemy theory but are also designed to be used intuitively.
The Navigators of the Mystic Sea Tarot deck is based on the Golden Dawn foundation of the Hermetic Qabbalah, with the Tree of Life on the back of the cards. The artwork is really quite bizarre, but interesting. Previously out of print, it has now been reprinted by the artist.
The first tarot deck printed in Salem, Mass., the New World Tarot, has black line drawings on a white background. Tarot scenes are pared down to the minimum, and magickal and astrological symbols appear frequently.
The Oswald Wirth Tarot is a deck of 78 cards, based on the 22 majors created in 1889 by Swiss occultist, Oswald Wirth. It has a Marseilles foundation, with some changes based on the ideas of Eliphas Levi. The card art is illustrated in primary colours on a gold metallic background.
The Pythagorean Tarot is a complex and deep set of tarot cards, based on ancient Greek paganism, alchemy and Pythagorean numerology. Don't be put off by the symbolic complexity; the companion book is long and very thorough.
The tarot images used in the Oswald Wirth Tarot have been re-drawn and re-coloured. The originals were flat illustrations with brown backgrounds, but these 22 cards in the Radical Wirth Tarot are richly decorated and multi-hued pictures.
The Rosetta Tarot is a 78-card deck in the Golden Dawn tradition, inspired by the Thoth Tarot's depth of meaning and timeless symbolism. The cards were illustrated using different artistic media to portray the elemental forces of each suit.
The Sacred Geometry Oracle from John Michael Greer contains 33 cards, each featuring universal patterns and diagrams from traditional sacred geometry and an upright and reversed keyword meaning.
The Servants of the Light Tarot is a collaboration by English Traditional Witch, Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki (who also created the Shakespearian Tarot) and the authors of the Gill Tarot and Magickal Tarot (Gill completed the majors, Clark the minor cards). The art in the major arcana is particularly deep and vibrant.
The Square & Compasses Tarot is a deck created especially for Freemasons. It could also be used by a non-mason, but prior knowledge of Qabalah and esoteric symbolism is essential.
The major arcana in this complex Italian deck are packed with symbolism, with Hebrew, Sanskrit, and Celestial letters, Vulgar Latin, Zodiacal correspondences, and the Path of the Tree of Life on each card. The minor arcana of the Stairs of Gold Tarot are unfortunately very plain.
The Jolanda Den Tredjes Tarot, or Swedish Witch Tarot, is an esoteric Swedish deck of detailed illustrations. Designed by Rosie Bj�rklund (Jolanda Den Tredjes), a famous Witch in Sweden, in collaboration with artist Hans Arnold. Originally released as a 22-card deck in black and white, a 78-card fully coloured deck is also available.
Tabula Mundi Tarot: Colores Arcus is the full-colour, 78-card edition of the black and white Tabula Mundi Nox et Lux. The card images are Thoth inspired and draw from the Book of T, and are coloured according to the Golden Dawn colour scales. The minor arcana are unique in that their illustration is drawn from the major arcana card linked with the same astrological decan.
The first Brazilian-published Golden Dawn type tarot deck. The Taro Adivinhatorio cards are quite plainly drawn, having a large expanse of white border with different types of magical symbols in the margins. Cards are individually numbered and all titles are in the Portuguese language.
The Tarot of Ceremonial Magick is a brightly coloured Tarot deck with art that includes pieces from many systems, overlaid with Hebrew, astrological and other assorted symbols. Suited for beginners to ceremonial magick. Previously out of print, it's now available again from Thelesis Aura.
The Tarot of Color is an 'esoteric attribution' deck, and has no scenes or complicated images, just keywords, elemental and qabbalistic associations, correspondences and astrological symbols. The card backgrounds are plainly coloured in a range of rainbow hues.
The Tarot of Frown Strong is a strong, slightly surreal majors-only deck. It has non-traditional and esoteric images, all unnumbered except for the Fool. It was designed as a shorthand series of prompts for understanding the early teachings of The Emin Society as presented by Leo in the early 1970s. The deck has been printed at three different times, but is now out of print and still sought after.
The major arcana of the Tarot of the Sephiroth are fascinating. The art is angular and abstract, incorporating qabbalistic spheres, and the cards can be laid out showing the paths in the Tree of Life. However, the minor arcana do not match the majors in detail and interest.
The Illuminati Tarot: Keys of the Secret Societies is a 78-card set exploring five historically clandestine fraternities and the universal thread that weaves itself through all of them: the Tarot. The major arcana feature the Priory of Sion, while the suits are linked with Rosicrucians (Cups), Martinists (Pentacles), The Golden Dawn (Wands) and Freemasons (Swords).
The Tree of Life Tarot has symbolic rather than pictorial imagery, aimed at students of the Qabbalah. Each card pictures a diagram of the tree of life and focuses on a particular path between them.
The Universal Wirth Tarot is a modern and expanded version of the Oswald Wirth Tarot. The minor arcana are a new and unique addition, and while not fully scenic have decorative elements around the suit symbols.
The Via Tarot is directly inspired by Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot deck, and draws on kabbalistic, alchemistic and magical sources. The Via's cards, illustrated in coloured pencil, resemble the Thoth's but are more aesthetically pleasing.
The Wraithe Sigillum Tarot is based on traditional tarot, but each card has a very different illustration of a sigillum (symbol) of power that helps the individual connect with universal consciousness. Each sigillum was specially chosen by the artist based on his own experience. Available through The Game Crafter.
Dare to venture into the mysterious and captivating realm of the Occult Tarot, a spellbinding card set that will mesmerize and intrigue you from.
These decks can provide insight, guidance, and spiritual knowledge that can aid in personal growth and self-discovery. It is important to note that Occult Tarot decks are not limited to one specific style or design. There are numerous decks available, each with its own unique themes, symbolism, and artwork. Some popular examples include the Thoth Tarot Deck, the Tarot of the Great Work, and the Hermetic Tarot. Overall, Occult Tarot decks offer a deeper and more esoteric interpretation of the traditional tarot system. They provide a means for individuals to explore the hidden realms of spirituality and tap into their own inner wisdom and intuition..
Reviews for "The Occult Tarot Deck: Insights and Guidance for the Modern Practitioner"
1. Jane - 2 stars
I was really excited to get the Occult Tarot Deck, but I was disappointed with the quality of the cards. The cardstock was flimsy and the images were blurry. The guidebook that came with it was also lacking in detail and didn't provide enough information for me to fully understand the meanings of the cards. Overall, I feel like this deck was a waste of money and I would not recommend it to others.
2. Mark - 1 star
I found the Occult Tarot Deck to be very confusing and difficult to use. The artwork on the cards was dark and not very appealing, and the symbolism was not clear to me. The guidebook didn't provide enough explanations for each card, and I struggled to interpret the messages they were trying to convey. I quickly gave up on using this deck and ended up buying a different one that was much more user-friendly.
3. Sarah - 2 stars
I found the Occult Tarot Deck to be quite disappointing. The cards were smaller than I expected and felt cheaply made. The images were also quite disturbing and not what I was expecting from a tarot deck. I tried using it a few times, but I just couldn't connect with the energy of the cards. Overall, I would not recommend this deck to anyone who is looking for a more positive and uplifting tarot experience.